Delaware State Police bust another meth lab in Harrington

Delaware State Police made their second arrest this week of a suspect charged with manufacturing methamphetamine at his house.

By Antonio Pradoantonio.prado@doverpost.com

The Delaware State Police Kent County Drug Unit arrested a Harrington man for manufacturing methamphetamine (Meth) at his house Wednesday after detectives conducted a month-long investigation

The arrest of Michael A. Ratledge, 46, of Harrington, was the second arrest made by the Delaware State Police Kent County Drug Unit in connection to a Meth Lab in Harrington this week, State Police Master Cpl. Gary Fournier said.

“They are looking and they are finding more and more locations,” Fournier said. “Our drug unit’s proactive approach is finding these locations and they’re getting tips from people.”

Brandon S. Silbereisen, 25, of Harrington was arrested Monday when officers from the Delaware State Police Drug Unit and the Milford Police Department executed a search warrant at his home in the 400 block of Vernon Road about 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday, following another month-long investigation in meth manufacturing, Fournier said.

This was the second arrest of Ratledge for manufacturing Meth at his house, Fournier said. He was also arrested on Sept. 2 and those charges were still pending in court, he said.

The Kent County Drug Unit, with the assistance of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control and Little Creek Fire Department responded to Ratledge's home on the 100 block of Lewis Pond Lane in order to investigate a possible Meth lab at approximately 3 p.m. Wednesday, Fournier said.,

Upon arrival at the house, Ratledge allowed investigators to take a look around, Fournier said. Detectives found items commonly used in the manufacturing of methamphetamines outside the home and obtained a search warrant for inside the house.

During the execution of that search warrant State Police detectives located equipment and component mixtures of the manufacturing stages of Meth, key ingredients in making the drug as well as other drug paraphernalia, Fournier said.

Ratledge was arrested without incident and transported back to Delaware State Police Troop 3 in Camden, Fournier said. There, he was charged with two counts of manufacturing methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

“This is an operation that doesn’t take much top set up,” Fournier said. “There’s not a lot of trafficking but they can sell Meth for $100 a gram. It is a cheap way to get high.”

Ratledge was arraigned at Delaware Justice of the Peace 2 in Rehoboth Beach and committed to the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna in lieu of $21,000 cash only bail, Fournier said.

There were no road closures during the investigation, he said. No evacuations were ordered as it was determined that there was no immediate hazard to nearby residents.